21 Dec Pint-sized Profile: Austin Smith of Drink Water

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I moved to Bend when I was 12 and was so mad at my parents to be leaving Bellingham, Washington, for the desert. But now I can say I’m happy we did—I’ve been a pro snowboarder for the past 10 years, often traveling around the world with fellow pro snowboarder and Drink Water partner Bryan Fox, who lives in Portland.

Why did you create Drink Water?Drink Water came to life in 2011 when energy drinks seemed to be everywhere in snowboarding. Neither Bryan nor I liked these brands representing snowboarding, so we created a response promoting something much simpler and healthier. Our peers have endorsed it as well, and kids have jumped on board to promote something as simple and necessary as tap water.

What is your favorite Drink Water product?I love seeing stickers up at the mountain, on the backs of cars or on water bottles. It reminds me of all the support we have standing up to energy drink marketing.

What do you love about Bend?Spork, Parrilla, Mt. Bachelor, mountain biking, the weather, the new river wave, the ice rink, friends, family.

What are you most looking forward to this winter?Spending more time at home riding Mt. Bachelor, based out of my fire truck in the parking lot.